Annals of Commodification: Hair Dye

Meanwhile, plastic surgery, on which privileged people around the world now spend over $30 billion a year, has been expanding by 25% annually.

To my eye, these trends denote several things, including: anti-feminism; a childish (and heavily sponsored) denial of aging; comically bad aesthetics; and, in a supposedly “Christian” nation-state, a profound solipsistic insensitivity to the distribution of world income and wealth.

But the hair coloring craze is not all pull. It’s also a product of the power of corporate capitalism’s marketing juggernaut, which leaves no stone unturned in its drive to commercialize and commodify every possible aspect of human life. Gray hair? That’s just another major business opportunity.

Despite the economic downturn, the personal care industry remains an attractive market for suppliers of performance ingredients aimed at delivering the results consumers demand from hair and skin products. The market is ripe for savvy suppliers who can find the right niche and the right buyers for their innovative products to capitalize on the demand for anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, and other products.